Brussels officials are looking to introduce legislation to curb the nuisances caused by the indiscriminate parking of e-scooters in the city, as the popularity of the sharing schemes rises.
With an estimated 4,000 units now scattered throughout the streets of the Belgian capital, regional mobility authorities are considering creating zones where the unruly parking of e-scooters would be prohibited.
The zones subject to these regulations have not yet been officially defined, but authorities are particularly eyeing the areas around the Grand Place, as well as Rue de La Loi and Parc Josaphat in Schaerbeek, according to reports.
The legislation will not impact users' ability to ride freely through those areas, but the move would counter the schemes' "free-floating" principle, which allows users to simply hop off the units and leave them behind anywhere after they are done using them.
If the legislation is applied, authorities will be able to issue a fine to the companies owning a scooter parked for more than 24 hours in the restricted zones.
"That is our only option," Inge Paeman, a spokesperson with Brussels Infrastructure & Mobility regional authority told De Morgen.
"After all, we don't know who the users are," adding that it would be up to the operator to determine whether they pass the fine onto the users.
As the already-crowded e-scooter market continues to flourish across Europe, cities continue to think of ways to ensure their use remains safe and in-line with traffic regulations.
The obligatory use of a helmet has been proposed by some Brussels city officials, and some municipalities have taken an extra step, announcing they could prohibit the scooters in some of their busiest squares and streets.
Gabriela Galindo
The Brussels Times
